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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Headphones On= Do Not Disturb Please.

Headphones are click here to read, please. So, that stated- I got word from a seventeen year old friend (age is very important here) that when one has their headphones on, they want to be left alone.
She said, "When I have my headphones the whole world leaves me alone."
Well, that was before her mother called her to go and do the dishes, but she said that the rule does not apply to parents.

But given the evolution of music, so many people can listen to their playlists without interfering with other people. It's like we've moved from the age of the boom box to some age of serenity. I still recall hating to hear my neighbor blast "Papa Wemba's" songs when I was dancing to Awilo Longomba. It was just annoying. But still, I give credit to those who walk with radios and listen to them. I know of a man, who loves to listen out loud-he says those things damage his ears (the earphones of course). So, it got me wondering does having your headphones on mean that you should not be disturbed?
And the answers I got were all in the positive. It means thou shall not disturb. It has the same connotation as "never touch a black man's radio" that Chris Tucker tells Jackie Chan on Rush Hour One .
But, it's pretty amazing that as society evolves and trends emerge, everything seems to go more towards the socialization of human beings. If you look back at music-from the strereos to the iPods, you will realize that everything boils down to an individual. In the 80s and early 90s it was all about jamming in the hood, and people chilling out as they listen to one stereo. All you had to carry was a tape and it'd be played in line as you listened to some of the best tracks of the year. Those tapes could be rewound using a bic pen (I know).
But now, you have your earphones or headphones on-and it's your music and your space.You can share it with a friend for only a second and that's as much love for music as you can get.
It's beautiful to listen to music, and even more beautiful to share it with people- but when you see someone with their headphones on, it means that their music is personal. It's their own way of feeling and understanding the music and you should respect that. However if they are going to be run down by a vehicle save them, if they are going to walk into a pole, stand and watch then maybe laugh about it-but take that chance to make a friend or not, share a playlist or not-either way-make something of it.
So given my various conversations I believe that when it comes to music, just like life- people have different tastes- and that's what makes it a better world in a way. Like my friend once said on twitter that he wished people would be jailed according to their music preference, I reckon I'd be in the same cell with him and some of my friends. I would want to know what the Rockers cell looks like and if it'd get as loud and colorful as rock concerts always are.
If you've got the time to spare, please listen to Headphones by Conor Maynard